Effects of Exercising Only on Weekends

When it comes to exercising, unfortunately, it's easy to lose track of time or just plain lose enthusiasm. For many of us, the biggest problem is our busy schedules. From sun up to sun down, it seems, we are constantly busy with other things. We don't have time to exercise, or so it appears. The only free time we have tends to come on the weekend.
That has created a lot of weekend warrior exercisers. In terms of exercising, a weekend warrior is a person who basically sits around like a couch potato all week only to get a burst of exercising enthusiasm on the weekends. Is being a weekend warrior a good thing, though? Well, like anything else, it has its good sides and its bad sides.
The Good
The good thing about exercising only on the weekends is that it's better than not exercising at all. After all, something is better than nothing. Unfortunately, though, that's about the only good thing to be said for it.
The Bad
There are several bad sides to exercising only on weekends. One is that your body likes to do things in moderation. In other words, you need recovery time between workout sessions and you need to exercise different muscles on different days. If you're only exercising two days a week and those two days are back to back, that creates some stress on your body.
Another problem with the weekend warrior exercise plan is that it's just not enough time to accomplish much. If you want to lose weight, for example, you should be exercising at least 3 or 4 days a week. Twice a week after being sedentary at an office desk or in front of a TV all day is not going to cut it. A lot of the work you do on the weekend can be reversed throughout the following week because you aren't active enough and you may be eating a poor diet, too.
Then there's the mental problem with only exercising on the weekends. You have an entire week to think about the upcoming weekend. You're mentally setting yourself up to put off your routine because you have “better things to do” on the weekends. If you do actually follow through with your exercise plan on the weekend, you're likely to go into it expecting to fail. If you have the “Oh my gosh, I am too out of shape for this!” attitude, it's going to make it even harder to be productive.

The Ugly
Unfortunately, those aren't the only bad sides to only exercising on weekends. It gets even uglier than that. For starters, because you've been sedentary all week, your muscles aren't really prepared to work. So, you're likely to tire out faster and find yourself wanting to back things up and do shorter and shorter routines that are easier and easier. A proper exercise program done several times a week, on the other hand, should give you more strength and endurance.
The really ugly problem with being a weekend warrior, though, is that your body is just not going to be ready to exercise. So, even if you do a proper warm up routine, you're going to be much more prone to injuries. Sprained ankles, knee problems, tennis elbow and torn rotator cuffs are just a few of the potential injuries you could be facing. Your odds of getting those injuries as a weekend warrior are also greater because many weekend warrior exercisers insist on doing harder or longer routines than they should, in order to try to compensate for not exercising all week.
Turning Things Around
Obviously, being a weekend warrior exerciser is not all it's cracked up to be. There's a definite down side to it. Luckily, though, there are ways to avoid falling into the trap. The first thing to realize is that you can get some exercise every day. It may not be an exercise routine, but that doesn't mean it's not exercise.
For example, let's say that you work in an office building. Well, you might have the option to take an elevator or take stairs. Taking the stairs even twice a week can give you a bit more exercise. Also, if you live near where you work, try walking or biking to work in the warm weather. Another way to get more exercise and have fun at the same time is to take your child or pet to the park for at least an hour one weekday each week. In general, just find ways to get up and moving a little more than you normally might.
For The Busy Bee
Ideally, you should plan to exercise at least three days a week for a set amount of time. Some people find that things seem to pop up on them all the time, though. Some such busy bees try the double length routine schedule. For example, if you want to exercise for half an hour three nights per week, schedule yourself an hour of exercise time three nights a week, instead. The idea there is that, if you get tossed off schedule slightly, you'll still have an extra half hour to work with.
Finally, remember that you need to stay motivated to exercise. That means making it fun. For some people that means being able to exercise while watching TV. For some it means exercising outside. For many it means being able to spend time with friends and family, though. Having one or more exercise buddies can really help to keep you motivated.

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One Response to Effects of Exercising Only on Weekends

I don't exercise much during the week. I hike every weekend. Sometimes on both days. I average about 4 hiking hours every weekend over hills or a mountain. That seems to do the trick. Losing a pound a week. Down 14 pounds.